A year in super-cool cars

NEW YORK (CNNMoney)

The Huayra, a gorgeous and ultra-rare Italian supercar, was one of two huge highlights in a year that was filled with cars that would have been tough to top in any ordinary year.

The other highpoint took me back in time, to shortly before the actual day I was born. The jet-powered 1963 Chrysler Turbine Car was unveiled at New York World's Fair. Of the 55 that were originally built, only three remain running. Getting to drive this car, even at parking lot speeds, was incredible.

The Turbine Car was, in its day, forward thinking technology that would, despite decades of research and development, ultimately yield absolutely zero in terms of a car customers could buy.

Many of the cars I drove in 2014 are very rare and very expensive. And they, too, show the way to the future.

Chrysler Turbine Car

The $845,000 Porsche 918 Spyder plug-in hybrid, for instance, might be more than you or I can afford but its technology is already making its way into more affordable models, relatively speaking, like the Porsche Panamera plug-in.

Porsche 918

And the beautiful BMW i8 plug-in hybrid, with its three-cylinder engine, is a relative bargain at $136,000. Plus, it's seriously a blast to drive, as a BMW should be.

BMW i8

For those with an eye for the classics, but still wanting to jump on the electric car wave, let me tell you about the Zelectric Bug. A small shop near San Diego takes the noisy gasoline engines out of classic Volkswagen Beetles and replaces them with electric motors. In the process, they hugely improve the little car's performance.

Zelectric Bug

Toyota let me take a spin in its Toyota Mirai hydrogen fuel cell car. It'll be available for sale or lease soon in a handful of states.

Toyota Mirai

Not everyone is looking to save on gas, of course. The economy's improving and gas prices are low so Ferrari is doing quite well selling cars like the Ferrari 458 Speciale, a performance monster that ranks as of the most fun cars I drove last year.

Lamborghini Especiale

Lamborghini, meanwhile, is hitting sales records thanks, in large part, to the new Lamborghini Huracán. I called it the best Lamborghini I'd ever driven and apparently a lot of people agree.

Lamborghini Huracan

Britain's Aston Martin, meanwhile, is still creating new versions of its cars. Last year I drove two versions of the Aston Martin Vantage. First there was the top-dollar V12 Vantage S, Aston Martin's high-powered answer to the muscle car craze. Then there was the bargain-priced -- well, relatively speaking -- Aston Martin GT with a V8 engine, a manual transmission and a price tag starting ever so slightly under $100,000. I ended up thinking that the original Aston Martin V8 Vantage still had the best balance of beauty, luxury and performance.

Aston Martin Vantage GT

From McLaren, another British carmaker that's maybe less familiar than Aston Martin, came the replacement for what had been one of my favorite sports cars. The McLacen 650S is, essentially, a significantly updated version of the McLaren 12C. The 650S felt quicker, more natural and even more pleasant to drive at any speed.

McLaren 650S

I also spent some in time in a couple of Bentley's newest models, both featuring the luxury brand's new turbocharged V8. The Bentley Continental V8 S offered only slightly better performance than the non-turbo V8 but, in the Flying Spur sedan -- which is otherwise only available with a V12 -- it made the car feel more spirited, nimble and surprisingly fun.

Bentley Continental V8 S

Jaguar brought itself back to the sports car world with the F-type. I used to think this car, with its $65,000 base price, was just too expensive. That was before I actually drove it. Between the V6 and V8 versions, I liked the V8 better. Loads of power and, otherwise, just crazy fun to drive. Plus, whatever's under the hood, it is flat out gorgeous.

Jaguar F-type

For the more practical-minded, may I show you something in a station wagon? Check out the Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG with its 577 horsepower turbocharged V8. I thought it was the perfect mix of outrageousness and cargo space.

Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG

For the less practical minded, there was also the Alfa Romeo 4C. I couldn't really decide whether I loved it or hated it. On smooth curvy roads it was magnificent. With no power steering, hard suspension and a noisy four-cylinder engine, it felt wonderfully connected and "real." But, let's face it... All those things are also a recipe for a really killer headache when you're not out on a perfect country road.

Alfa Romeo 4C

For those on really tight budgets, Elio Motors is promising a price of just $6,800 for a three-wheeled two-seater that, they say, will get 84 miles per gallon. Like the Alfa Rome 4C, the Elio prototype I drove was noisy and had a brutal ride. But this was just a prototype. Elio promises the production car will be considerably more pleasant.

Elio

We'll see when they actually start building it, something that's supposed to happen later this year.

First Published: January 2, 2015: 5:20 PM ET

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Oprah suffers Twitter backlash for comments about protesters

NEW YORK (CNNMoney)

In a recent interview, Winfrey explained what she would like to see emerge from the recent spate of protests against police killings, but what her comment sparked instead was a swift social media backlash.

Winfrey said she thought it was "wonderful" to see so many demonstrators take to the streets after recent grand jury decisions in Ferguson, Missouri and New York City to clear police officers involved in the deaths of unarmed black men.

But the billionaire media mogul also qualified her praise.

"What I'm looking for is some kind of leadership to come out of this to say, 'This is what we want. This is what has to change, and these are the steps that we need to take to make these changes, and this is what we're willing to do to get it,'" Winfrey told People magazine.

The comment sparked considerable push-back on Twitter after People published the interview online on Thursday evening. For much of Friday, Winfrey, who boasts more than 26 million followers on the social media site, was inundated with messages from individuals who took umbrage to her characterization of the movement.

"So MY question, @oprah, is are YOU the leader that many thought you were and that you purported yourself to be?!" asked Charles Wade, an activist who's been involved in the Ferguson protests.

He asserted that "this is about ticket sales," since Winfrey was being interviewed about "Selma," a new movie about the 1960s civil rights movement that she produced and appeared in.

DeRay Mckesson, another Ferguson activist, told Winfrey to "ask before you assume."

"I thought you taught us that -- the radical power of the question," Mckesson said. "Stand with us. There are many 'leading.'"

Jamilah Lemieux, a senior editor at Ebony.com, offered to introduce Winfrey to leaders involved in the protests aimed at countering police brutality and other excesses by law enforcement.

Shaun King, who blogs at the Daily Kos, said that Winfrey's wish was superfluous.

"Everything she says should happen already has," King said.

"Selma" has been met with widespread critical acclaim, and many commentators have noted that its story may resonate with moviegoers today.

David Oyelowo, who portrays Martin Luther King, Jr. in the movie, told Variety in November that the movie "feels very timely and very necessary."

And Winfrey told People that the movie contains a valuable lesson.

"I think what can be gleaned from our film is to take note of the strategic, peaceful intention required when you want real change," Winfrey said.

She did not reply to any of the protesters' comments on Twitter on Friday.

First Published: January 2, 2015: 7:46 PM ET

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'Downton Abbey's' 5 great money lessons

Downton Abbey Season 5 premieres January 4 on PBS.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney)

As the Dowager Countess quips, "If I were to search for logic, I would not look for it among the English upper class."

But behind the dinner parties and grand gowns, the Crawley family is often one step away from financial ruin. There's a lot to learn from their troubles.

In honor of the Season 5 premiere in the U.S. on Sunday, here are the top financial takeaways:

1. Don't put all your money in 1 stock: Downton's patriarch, the Earl of Grantham, needs a little Investing 101. He loses the entire family fortune at the start of Season 3 by betting on a Canadian railroad company that goes belly up.

"It wasn't just me. Everyone said we couldn't lose," he protests.

His wife, Cora, sums it up best: "Why were you so heavily invested in one enterprise. Wasn't it foolish?

Yes, it was. Learn from the earl and make sure your portfolio is diversified.

Related: How to invest like a billionaire

2. Ask for a raise: The most interesting drama often takes place "downstairs" in Downton's servants quarters. Several characters aren't content to spend their lives as maids and footmen.

Take Daisy, who begins the series as a kitchen maid, but stages a protest for better pay and conditions.

Daisy goes from kitchen maid to assistant cook at Downton Abbey.

"You've still kept me here with a dishonest representation," Daisy complains when she goes on strike.

"Oh dear. Have you swallowed a dictionary?" replies head cook Mrs. Patmore.

It's a comical exchange, but Daisy does end up with a raise and a promotion to assistant cook. Look for even more assertiveness from her in Season 5.

Then there's Alfred, who manages to go from being a second footman at Downton to a prestigious chef training course in London. He ultimately lands at The Ritz.

Sheryl Sandberg would be proud: Even at Downton, people aren't just "leaning in" to serve at the dinner table.

Related: Three reasons you'll likely to get a raise in 2015

3. Make a will ... and revisit it! The whole "Downton Abbey" series kicks off in a crisis to find a new heir. The man who was to inherit the vast estate -- and marry Lady Mary -- dies on the Titanic in 1912.

It's a good reminder to get your will in order.

None of the earl's three daughters is legally allowed to take over the fortune. That's how Matthew Crawley -- a distant and solidly middle class relative -- gets lucky.

Sadly, Matthew dies at the end of Season 3, but not before he weds Lady Mary and finds a way to lawfully make her his sole heir.

Related: Shakespeare's 5 best investing tips

4. Know the basics of supply & demand: Thomas Barrow is the most devious of Downton's residents. A servant known for causing trouble, he injures his hand on purpose to get out of World War I. But he could use a basic economics lesson.

After returning from the war, he tries to make it as a black market salesman. Getting quality goods is hard during the war, especially of the kind Downton is accustomed to for meals.

Thomas meets a man at a bar who sells him a bunch of supposedly high-end food, but it turns out the stuff is rotten or watered down. Downton won't buy it, and Thomas has blown his savings.

If the price is too good to be true, it probably is, especially for items in high demand.

5. Be an active shareholder: Activism in the Downton era looks a little different than how hedge fund moguls Carl Icahn and Bill Ackman do it today.

But the principle is the same: No one will be as protective of your money as you are. Stay informed and involved in the businesses you invest in.

Lady Mary is quite the love interest at Downton, but she's also becoming more of a business woman.

When Matthew uses his inheritance from Mr. Swire to save Downton, he insists on getting a say in how things are run. After all, Lord Grantham squandered the family money before. Matthew even appoints his brother-in-law Tom as the new estate manager.

After Matthew tragically passes away, his widow Lady Mary steps in. The grand lady can even be seen mucking about in a pig stall in Season 4 to save the animals -- and the family's investment.

"We must rise to life's challenges," Lady Mary says.

Bonus tip: Beware the gold diggers. A constant theme in "Downton Abbey" is whether to marry for love or money.

"Everyone goes down the aisle with half the story hidden," the Dowager Countess says.

The biggest gold digger of all is Lord Grantham, who admits he only married the American Cora for her money. Fortunately for him, he falls in love after the wedding.

In contrast, Lady Sybil marries the family chauffeur and makes a bold choice to leave the world of Downton behind.

But it's the rich widows who have to be most on guard.

Lady Rosamund Painswick, daughter of the Dowager Countess, has to fend off the men who want her for her money. And Cora's mother, the feisty Mrs. Levinson from America, is pursued by an impoverished British lord.

"I have no wish to be a great lady," Mrs. Levinson says at the end of Season 4. "My world is coming nearer and yours is slipping further and further away."

First Published: January 3, 2015: 8:02 AM ET

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A year in super-cool cars

NEW YORK (CNNMoney)

The Huayra, a gorgeous and ultra-rare Italian supercar, was one of two huge highlights in a year that was filled with cars that would have been tough to top in any ordinary year.

The other highpoint took me back in time, to shortly before the actual day I was born. The jet-powered 1963 Chrysler Turbine Car was unveiled at New York World's Fair. Of the 55 that were originally built, only three remain running. Getting to drive this car, even at parking lot speeds, was incredible.

The Turbine Car was, in its day, forward thinking technology that would, despite decades of research and development, ultimately yield absolutely zero in terms of a car customers could buy.

Many of the cars I drove in 2014 are very rare and very expensive. And they, too, show the way to the future.

Chrysler Turbine Car

The $845,000 Porsche 918 Spyder plug-in hybrid, for instance, might be more than you or I can afford but its technology is already making its way into more affordable models, relatively speaking, like the Porsche Panamera plug-in.

Porsche 918

And the beautiful BMW i8 plug-in hybrid, with its three-cylinder engine, is a relative bargain at $136,000. Plus, it's seriously a blast to drive, as a BMW should be.

BMW i8

For those with an eye for the classics, but still wanting to jump on the electric car wave, let me tell you about the Zelectric Bug. A small shop near San Diego takes the noisy gasoline engines out of classic Volkswagen Beetles and replaces them with electric motors. In the process, they hugely improve the little car's performance.

Zelectric Bug

Toyota let me take a spin in its Toyota Mirai hydrogen fuel cell car. It'll be available for sale or lease soon in a handful of states.

Toyota Mirai

Not everyone is looking to save on gas, of course. The economy's improving and gas prices are low so Ferrari is doing quite well selling cars like the Ferrari 458 Speciale, a performance monster that ranks as of the most fun cars I drove last year.

Lamborghini Especiale

Lamborghini, meanwhile, is hitting sales records thanks, in large part, to the new Lamborghini Huracán. I called it the best Lamborghini I'd ever driven and apparently a lot of people agree.

Lamborghini Huracan

Britain's Aston Martin, meanwhile, is still creating new versions of its cars. Last year I drove two versions of the Aston Martin Vantage. First there was the top-dollar V12 Vantage S, Aston Martin's high-powered answer to the muscle car craze. Then there was the bargain-priced -- well, relatively speaking -- Aston Martin GT with a V8 engine, a manual transmission and a price tag starting ever so slightly under $100,000. I ended up thinking that the original Aston Martin V8 Vantage still had the best balance of beauty, luxury and performance.

Aston Martin Vantage GT

From McLaren, another British carmaker that's maybe less familiar than Aston Martin, came the replacement for what had been one of my favorite sports cars. The McLacen 650S is, essentially, a significantly updated version of the McLaren 12C. The 650S felt quicker, more natural and even more pleasant to drive at any speed.

McLaren 650S

I also spent some in time in a couple of Bentley's newest models, both featuring the luxury brand's new turbocharged V8. The Bentley Continental V8 S offered only slightly better performance than the non-turbo V8 but, in the Flying Spur sedan -- which is otherwise only available with a V12 -- it made the car feel more spirited, nimble and surprisingly fun.

Bentley Continental V8 S

Jaguar brought itself back to the sports car world with the F-type. I used to think this car, with its $65,000 base price, was just too expensive. That was before I actually drove it. Between the V6 and V8 versions, I liked the V8 better. Loads of power and, otherwise, just crazy fun to drive. Plus, whatever's under the hood, it is flat out gorgeous.

Jaguar F-type

For the more practical-minded, may I show you something in a station wagon? Check out the Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG with its 577 horsepower turbocharged V8. I thought it was the perfect mix of outrageousness and cargo space.

Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG

For the less practical minded, there was also the Alfa Romeo 4C. I couldn't really decide whether I loved it or hated it. On smooth curvy roads it was magnificent. With no power steering, hard suspension and a noisy four-cylinder engine, it felt wonderfully connected and "real." But, let's face it... All those things are also a recipe for a really killer headache when you're not out on a perfect country road.

Alfa Romeo 4C

For those on really tight budgets, Elio Motors is promising a price of just $6,800 for a three-wheeled two-seater that, they say, will get 84 miles per gallon. Like the Alfa Rome 4C, the Elio prototype I drove was noisy and had a brutal ride. But this was just a prototype. Elio promises the production car will be considerably more pleasant.

Elio

We'll see when they actually start building it, something that's supposed to happen later this year.

First Published: January 2, 2015: 5:20 PM ET

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Mega ratings for ESPN's college football playoffs make cable TV history

NEW YORK (CNNMoney)

On Thursday, 28.2 million viewers watched Oregon blow out Florida State 59 to 20 in the Rose Bowl. Later in the night, 28.3 million tuned in as Ohio State upset top-seed Alabama 42 to 35 in the Sugar Bowl.

These numbers make the semifinal games the two most-watched broadcasts in cable TV history.

"These record setting numbers illustrate the enormous fan interest in college football and the wide ranging appeal of the new College Football Playoff format," John Wildhack, ESPN's executive VP of programming, said in a statement.

This year marked the first time that the college football champion will be decided by playoffs.

The Oregon Ducks beat the Florida State Seminoles 59 to 20 in Thursday night's Rose Bowl.

In prior years, computer rankings and coaching polls were used to determine which teams would compete for the crown.

ESPN now holds the largest 18 audiences in cable TV history.

While the network's ratings are huge, they pale in comparison to the 111 million viewers that tuned in for the Super Bowl on network TV last year.

Related: TV contracts keep sports programming steady for next decade.

The ratings are welcome news for ESPN, which reportedly paid $7.3 billion for the rights to the playoff through 2025.

The coverage did have a bumpy start. The network's online TV and mobile app, WatchESPN, went down during the Rose Bowl.

Yet, the games themselves were widely praised by fans watching on social media.

"So that college football playoff was worth waiting for," tweeted the sports media blog Awful Announcing.

Thursday night's games also drew huge live crowds: Attendance at Pasadena's Rose Bowl was 91,322, while the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans was attended by more than 70,000 fans.

The Oregon Ducks and Ohio State Buckeyes will now meet for the national championship, which will be played on January 12 in Arlington, Texas.

First Published: January 2, 2015: 4:57 PM ET

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Oprah suffers Twitter backlash for comments about protestors

NEW YORK (CNNMoney)

In a recent interview, Winfrey explained what she would like to see emerge from the recent spate of protests against police killings, but what her comment sparked instead was a swift social media backlash.

Winfrey said she thought it was "wonderful" to see so many demonstrators take to the streets after recent grand jury decisions in Ferguson, Missouri and New York City to clear police officers involved in the deaths of unarmed black men.

But the billionaire media mogul also qualified her praise.

"What I'm looking for is some kind of leadership to come out of this to say, 'This is what we want. This is what has to change, and these are the steps that we need to take to make these changes, and this is what we're willing to do to get it,'" Winfrey told People magazine.

The comment sparked considerable push-back on Twitter after People published the interview online on Thursday evening. For much of Friday, Winfrey, who boasts more than 26 million followers on the social media site, was inundated with messages from individuals who took umbrage to her characterization of the movement.

"So MY question, @oprah, is are YOU the leader that many thought you were and that you purported yourself to be?!" asked Charles Wade, an activist who's been involved in the Ferguson protests.

He asserted that "this is about ticket sales," since Winfrey was being interviewed about "Selma," a new movie about the 1960s civil rights movement that she produced and appeared in.

DeRay Mckesson, another Ferguson activist, told Winfrey to "ask before you assume."

"I thought you taught us that -- the radical power of the question," Mckesson said. "Stand with us. There are many 'leading.'"

Jamilah Lemieux, a senior editor at Ebony.com, offered to introduce Winfrey to leaders involved in the protests aimed at countering police brutality and other excesses by law enforcement.

Shaun King, who blogs at the Daily Kos, said that Winfrey's wish was superfluous.

"Everything she says should happen already has," King said.

"Selma" has been met with widespread critical acclaim, and many commentators have noted that its story may resonate with moviegoers today.

David Oyelowo, who portrays Martin Luther King, Jr. in the movie, told Variety in November that the movie "feels very timely and very necessary."

And Winfrey told People that the movie contains a valuable lesson.

"I think what can be gleaned from our film is to take note of the strategic, peaceful intention required when you want real change," Winfrey said.

She did not reply to any of the protesters' comments on Twitter on Friday.

First Published: January 2, 2015: 7:46 PM ET

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Three media predictions for 2015

NEW YORK (CNNMoney)

There were glaring mistakes at big publications and mergers of major companies.

However, the shake-ups in 2014 could be the beginning of large shifts for the industry in 2015.

As we wrap up 2014, here are three media predictions for the new year:

1. 2015 will be the biggest box office year... ever: Much has been written about the dismal state of the U.S. box office in 2014.

While there were some successes, the U.S. box office heads into the new year down roughly 5% from the year before.

Yet, Hollywood's slump shouldn't last for long.

2015 is shaping up to be a record year for Hollywood with upcoming films like "Fifty Shades of Grey," "Avengers: Age of Ultron," and "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" all having the potential to be big blockbusters.

This means the North American box office should have the biggest year in history, breaking the $11 billion revenue barrier for the first time ever.

Taylor Swift was one of the first major artists to spurn streaming music, she may not be the last.

2. Stand alone HBO GO will be the tipping point for cord cutters: If you wanted to watch HBO in 2014, you would have either needed a cable subscription or an HBO GO password.

That won't be the case in 2015.

Back in October, HBO announced that it would start selling subscriptions via the internet sometime in 2015 thus opening the network to a potentially new audience.

Will a stand alone HBO GO kill cable in 2015? Doubtful (thanks sports programming!), but it is without a doubt a major victory for viewers looking to cut the cable cord.

And while we're talking about streaming...

3. Streaming music is the future, whether Taylor Swift likes it or not: Much was made about the spat between Taylor Swift and Spotify after the pop star pulled her music from the service in November.

While other artists have avoided streaming in the past, Swift was one of the first major artists to spurn streaming music in such a big way.

As we head into 2015, she may not be the last to do so.

However, with the Billboard 200 now counting streams, YouTube creating its own music service, and only one album achieving platinum status in 2014, the music industry is clearly moving towards a streaming future.

Artists like Swift may not like that, but as media showed us in 2014 it can't stop, won't stop moving forward.

First Published: December 31, 2014: 4:50 PM ET

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The bull market lives: Stocks rise 11.4% in 2014

NEW YORK (CNNMoney)

The Dow shed 160 points on the last day of the year as investors worried about falling oil prices and what that might mean for profits of the energy sector.

But here's the really good news: If you put your money in stocks in 2014, you were a savvy investor. The Dow finished the year up 7.5%, the S&P 500 rose 11.4%, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq soared 13.4%.

This was the third straight year that the popular S&P 500 Index scored double-digit gains. We haven't seen that kind of a winning streak since the late 1990s.

Related: 2014 was a helluva good year for stocks

There's no other way to say it. It's a Raging Bull market.

Despite some worrisome news this year -- from Russia invading Ukraine, Ebola, ISIS, oil and some Federal Reserve missteps --stocks always rebounded. In fact, the best market days of the year occurred in December.

The bottom line is that stocks moved higher because the U.S. economy just kept getting stronger, and corporate profits grew with it.

This was the best job year for job gains since 1999. Unemployment started the year just below 7%. It's now at 5.8%.

Economic growth is accelerating in the United States, and inflation is not a concern.

Related: U.S. economy grows incredible 5%

Utilities were the best performing sector in the S&P 500, followed closely by health care and technology. Companies have tremendous amounts of cash on hand that they used to buy up other businesses and invest in new technology and products.

"The story of the U.S. stock market since 2011 has been one of steady profit growth augmented by a 60% P/E multiple expansion," wrote Goldman Sachs in a recent report.

There were certainly some concerns, and U.S. government bonds -- often the safe haven investment -- had an unexpectedly good year. But gold, another proxy for investor fear, ended the year flat.

Related: How low will oil go? $30 a barrel is possible

What will happen in 2015? Experts predict the New Year will be another positive one for stocks. CNNMoney's survey of investment strategists predicts a 5.5% rise for the S&P 500 next year from its current level.

"Our research indicates we are in the midcycle phase of the business cycle," says Chris Hyzy, Chief Investment Officer at U.S. Trust.

But the headwinds will also pick up.

Just how low oil falls and how long it stays in the $50 a barrel range (or lower) is clearly a concern. Europe is fighting off another recession, and China is slowing down. In an interconnected world, those countries could begin to drag the U.S. down at some point.

Related: The next Russia: Geopolitical risks in 2015

The Federal Reserve holds the keys to interest rates, and stock market players are watching it closely.

America's central bank has heavily signaled that it believes the economy is doing well enough for it to raise interest rates off of the historic lows at some point in 2015.

Timing that first interest increase correctly could be the make-or-break moment for stocks and the economy.

First Published: December 31, 2014: 4:13 PM ET

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95-year-old billionaire and 39-year-old Go Pro founder among top givers of 2014

Ralph Wilson, Jr., (left) Nicholas Woodman (middle) and Diane von Furstenberg gave away a lot of money this year.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney)

Ralph Wilson, Jr., the billionaire owner of the Buffalo Bills football team, gave the largest individual donation of the year, according to a ranking from the Chronicle of Philanthropy.

A manufacturing magnate, Wilson passed away at the age of 95 in March and left $1 billion to his family foundation, which works to help homeless and poor families in Buffalo and Detroit.

Last year's top donation of $990 million came from Zuckerberg, the 30-year old founder of Facebook (FB, Tech30).

This year's second largest gift year came from Ted Stanley, an 83-year old Connecticut billionaire, who pledged $650 million to support research in mental health.

Stanley, who made his fortune selling sports memorabilia and other collectables, has a personal connection to the cause. He told The New York Times that his son, Jonathan, has a bipolar disorder and that medication saved his life.

While the top two donations came from old-school billionaires, the third came from a 39-year old surfer dude billionaire.

Nicholas Woodman, founder of the body-mounted camera company GoPro, gave $500 million to the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, which makes grants to a variety of causes such as education and immigration.

Woodman took his company public in June, making him a billionaire three times over.

His largess caused a stir on Wall Street when Woodman decided to donate 5.8 million of his shares to his family foundation even before the stock was available to traders.

Another tech billionaire, Google (GOOG) cofounder Larry Page, 41, made the fifth largest donation of the year. Page gave $177 million in stock to a charity he set up in the name of his father.

"Young tech wealth is continuing to give," said Stacy Palmer, editor of The Chronicle of Philanthropy. She said the giving had reached a high point last year with Zuckerberg's big donation also to the Silicon Valley Community Foundation.

Related: More rich people are donating stock to charity

Meanwhile, the fourth largest donation of the year went to Harvard University.

The Morningside Foundation, run by the family of Hong Kong real estate tycoon T.H. Chan, pledged $350 million to the Ivy League university's School of Public Health. It was the largest gift in Harvard's history.

Gerald Chan, one of the T.H. Chan's sons, earned a master's degree from the School of Public Health in the 1970s.

Another notable bequest came from media mogul Barry Diller and his fashion designer wife, Diane von Furstenberg. They pledged $130 million to help build a floating park in New York City's west side (pictured below).

The Diller-von Furstenburg Family Foundation has made dozens of grants to promote art and education in New York City.

It was the seventh largest donation of the year. Palmer said it's unusual to see such a large donation go to a public park, since most big grants fund scientific research or social causes.

Overall, the 10 biggest gifts totaled $3.3 billion, down slightly from 2013.

"It's not as strong as you might expect given where the economy is," said Palmer. But the total is still up significantly in the years following the financial crisis, when the tally averaged about $2.5 billion.

"Clearly, donors are ready to give," she concluded.

Related: The 2014 tax breaks you'll be able to take

Related: Paul Allen donates $100 million to start cell research institute

First Published: January 1, 2015: 12:36 AM ET

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Why is United Airlines suing a 22-year-old?

22-year-old Aktarer Zaman founded Skiplagged.com last year.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney)

United Airlines (UAL) and Orbitz (OWW) filed a civil lawsuit last month against 22-year-old Aktarer Zaman, who founded the website Skiplagged.com last year.

The site helps travelers find cheap flights by using a strategy called "hidden city" ticketing.

The idea is that you buy an airline ticket that has a layover at your actual destination. Say you want to fly from New York to San Francisco -- you actually book a flight from New York to Lake Tahoe with a layover in San Francisco and get off there, without bothering to take the last leg of the flight.

Related: Airlines get $1 billion from baggage fees

This travel strategy only works if you book a one-way flight with no checked bags (they would have landed in Lake Tahoe).

It's not like these tickets are the cheapest all the time, but they often are.

In the lawsuit, United and Orbitz call Skiplagged "unfair competition" and allege that it is promoting "strictly prohibited" travel. They want to recoup $75,000 in lost revenue from Zaman.

Zaman said he knew a lawsuit was inevitable but he points out that there's nothing illegal about his web site.

He also said he has made no profit via the website and that all he's done is help travelers get the best prices by exposing an "inefficiency" in airline prices that insiders have known about for decades.

"[Hidden city ticketing] have been around for a while, it just hasn't been very accessible to consumers," Zaman told CNNMoney.

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Indeed, "hidden city," ticketing is no secret among frequent fliers, said Michael Boyd, President of Boyd Group International, an aviation consulting firm in Evergreen, Co. Boyd worked as an American Airline (AAL)ticket agent 30 years ago, and says he was trained at the airline to help customers find "hidden city" fares.

"I don't think it's illegal what he's doing," Boyd said. But lawsuits are expensive and it could end up costing the young entrepreneur who has irked the two billion dollar corporations.

Airlines usually offer cheaper fares for some destinations that are not regional hubs, Boyd said. Many of these flights are routed through more popular destinations. But if a lot of people take advantage of that discrepancy it could hurt the airlines, which is why they want to shut him down.

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Born in Bangladesh, Zaman grew up in Brooklyn, N.Y., and graduated with a bachelor's degree in computer science at age 20 from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He lives in Manhattan and works at a technology start-up that he declined to name.

Zaman said Skiplagged is just a "side project."

Zaman and United declined to discuss the lawsuit. Orbitz said in a statement that it is obligated to uphold airline fare rules.

Other travel experts say that the airlines may not achieve much if Zaman's site is shut down, especially in a world where information is becoming more readily available.

"If [Skiplagged is] shut down, undoubtedly there will be other people to come along to scrape fares and make them available," said Robert Mann, president of R.W. Mann & Company, an airline consulting firm in Port Washington, N.Y.

First Published: December 29, 2014: 4:39 PM ET

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